the road home
by Wistful-Eyes
Summary: 2 short drabbles: Tomoe lives, and gets away with more and less than she could have. But more than anyone, even her husband, she would agree that it all turned out all right. Kenshin/Tomoe
1. An Act of Love

**Title: An Act of Love  
Pairing: Kenshin/Tomoe  
Prompt: #10. From 30_kisses.**

"I was selfish," the scarred man said, "to ask you to marry me."

The woman closed her eyes and said nothing, not one word of how a selfish turn will lead to another, a lesson she already learned thus making his grievances fall emptily on her ears. Fate had dealt them its cards cleanly, an equal exchange in her opinion- a marriage lost, a marriage gained. To lament the past was something over and done with for her; but for him, despite all the hardships he had faced since childhood, he simply could not let go to live and to learn. She decided she would guide him and help him on his way, teach him if she could; advice fell on deaf ears even when asked, but she knew her husband was wise enough to listen. She had those hopes in him, and they glittered as sharply as ever beneath her cool exterior.

Outwardly, she lay cold as death. She lay still beneath the blankets. Her bones hurt. Her muscles itched. She was uncomfortably warm inside, as if her body heat would not pass through her skin.

"I knew it was likely you would come to danger. When you finally backed down that day on the bridge, you could have been free like I had wanted you to be. But I made a mistake."

_That was not a mistake_, Tomoe thought. _Don't you dare call it a mistake, now._

"I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

_You didn't_.

His hand wavered while the other lay clenched at his knee. He slipped his hand under her blankets, brushing roughly against her hip to grasp at her left hand, gently around the palm. Her fingers tried to curl around his, but she couldn't manage it without feeling pain.

"Anata," she made herself say. There were no words to come afterwards. She didn't know how to stop his gloom, except to wait patiently by him for time to heal. It burned her that she didn't know how to comfort him, and her eyes watered harder than they had when she first woke up after the battle in the forest and seen herself, diving into shock.

He took her left hand gently out from the blankets, and wordlessly began changing the bandages. Despite herself, her wrist wobbled precariously, and she opened her eyes to see (or not see) the fingers remaining on her hand. The second and third ones were gone, lopped off by the dagger she had struggled to hold back. Another perfect dealing of fate- the blade she had planned to feed her husband's blood to had turned on her. She wouldn't have wanted it any other way. So she looked at her new deformity without cringing, and Kenshin's pained eyes met her black ones.

"Tomoe," he whispered.

She remembered falling from the pain as the dagger unexpectedly cut through her fingers in its momentum and flung out behind her wildly, hearing the ring of metal as Kenshin's sword came down above her, and feeling once more a rain of hot blood as the old Shogunate general in front of her was cleaved in two from shoulder to hip. And because her left hand was strangely numb, she had reached up with her right one to cup Kenshin's bleeding cheek as he cradled her while crying in shock, relief, and sorrow.

As she had done then, she smiled now. She smiled to let him know she loved him, that she had faith in him. She didn't say, "it will be all right" because who knew whether it would be? She didn't say, "it won't happen again" because neither of them could guarantee it though Kenshin would run himself into the ground trying. "It's not so bad," sounded cheap though she would adjust to having eight fingers instead of ten, but Kenshin, again, despite having realized and accepted that he could not bear the weight of the world on his shoulders, still clung onto the burden of protecting those in the scope of his eyes, especially the woman in front of him.

He had chosen that resolution and it would be a hard doctrine to follow. It could easily be said that he would fail, because Kenshin ultimately was not a god no matter what deeds he accomplished, but always would be a demon of Kyoto.

A god, a demon; Tomoe agreed with neither of these. Her husband was a man. And when he finished replacing her bandages, she tapped him feebly, unable to pull with only her ring and pinky finger.

"Rest with me," she said. "You've also received many wounds."

He went away to change into his bedclothes, and when he came back they rested close by each other, her ear next to his heartbeat, and his hand stroking her poor, white maimed one that made him think of a dove with broken wings. When his breathing lightened, and his hand clasped hers loosely as he fell into the deep sleep he could only achieve in her presence, she murmured all the things she hadn't said aloud, that she believed in him and that he could overcome anything, that he would change the world.

"You will do great things, Himura Kenshin," she said with perfect faith, her lashes fluttering as she dropped off to sleep. "I am honored to be with you."

The young couple slept, and dreamt of the future.


	2. Hello

**Title: Hello  
Pairing: Kenshin/Tomoe  
Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin  
Prompt: the road home. 30_kisses**

It was a short journey that took a day and a half. Katsura had arranged a carriage to take them. As the rickety thing went down the road, Kenshin's hand found her's and clenched it tightly, slipping in and fitting against the healed gaps that both were used to. Time went by slowly and fast for them. They couldn't speak that night in the hotel room- tomorrow was on their minds. By morning the next day, they would be in Edo.

Kenshin watched her carefully as she led them down the street. When they came to the street where she lived, she halted. Seeing how tense and nervous she was, Kenshin laid a hand on her shoulder and smiled encouragingly. He was nervous too- whatever happened, he knew he must gain favor with the man they were about to meet, otherwise he would make Tomoe's life harder. He looked around, taking in the sights as they came closer and closer to their destination. He tried to imagine Tomoe as a child, playing here, and seeing those well-sized sakura trees blooming each spring…

When they got to the door of a medium sized old house, Tomoe pushed it open without knocking. Kenshin briefly wondered if that was wise.

"I will not be a stranger here," Tomoe explained to him quietly. But apprehensively, she entered the main room. There was a man in there, with long gray hair streaked with white. His eyes widened so hugely at the sight of them that his glasses slipped far down his nose. Kenshin stood stone still, hoping that he looked presentable. But the old man's eyes were only on his daughter, who knelt in front of him touched his hand to her lips.

"Father," said Tomoe. "Please welcome my husband and I home."

* * *

A/N: This was not originally supposed to be a "sequel" to the preceding chapter; they were all separate drabbles. But since I decided to group these two in one "story", I thought I would try to add a little continuity.


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